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Certified Nurse-Midwife Speaks Out as Claremore Indian Hospital Loses Labor & Delivery

On October 1, 2025, Claremore Indian Hospital will shut down its inpatient and labor & delivery services under Cherokee Nation leadership. The abrupt change has left families and healthcare providers reeling—and many questions remain unanswered.


Certified Nurse-Midwife Kathryn Martin is one of the first to speak publicly about the transition. Alongside a team of midwives with more than 60 years of combined experience, Martin has served Native families with safe, culturally competent, midwife-led care that will no longer be available in Claremore.



“We built trust—and it’s being taken away”


For years, midwives at Claremore provided a model of care rooted in both clinical expertise and cultural respect. Their work created safe spaces for Native mothers and babies, offering a trusted alternative to impersonal hospital births.


That trust, Martin says, is being dismantled without clarity or input from the community.


Patients now face long travel times


Cherokee Nation has announced plans for a future hospital to replace the current federally run IHS facility. But in the meantime, patients will be forced to travel over an hour to access obstetric care. For expectant mothers in crisis—or those without reliable transportation—the consequences could be devastating.


Healthcare investment priorities in question


The loss of OB services in Claremore comes as the Cherokee Nation has invested nearly $600 million in Tahlequah. While Tahlequah gains expanded healthcare infrastructure, Claremore families lose essential access, raising concerns about equity and priorities across the Nation’s communities.


Call for transparency and dialogue


This transition highlights urgent questions:


Why was the community not informed sooner?


What protections exist for mothers and babies during the gap in services?


How will healthcare workers be supported in this upheaval?


Martin and her colleagues are calling for transparency, accountability, and public dialogue to ensure Native families are not left behind.


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